Holtz Realty

Newbies to River City

My first appointment today was an 8:00 a.m. showing at my new listing at 1603 S. Hoover. I arrived about ten minutes before the hour just in case the buyer arrived early, and wouldn’t you know it, he was just coming around the corner as I pulled up.

The showing went well, but I’m not so sure it’s going to be the right fit for him because of the size of the yard which is definitely something a young couple with children would enjoy, but since he’s a single senior living in an apartment, I couldn’t help but agree with him regarding his reservations over the extra upkeep. It being my first showing on the home, I was glad it was otherwise well received.

Over the day, I had four requests from other agents wanting to show it over the weekend, so it looks like the sellers are going to be in and out of their home more than they’d expected this long weekend. At least they have other things to keep them busy instead of driving around waiting for buyers to leave.

I did take time to get a good look at the landscaping on it today, and walked away all the more impressed by the beauty of it all. There’s a fountain pond, a fire pit, a nice arrangement of field stones, and well-placed flowerbeds and plantings everywhere. While I was there yesterday, I made sure to compliment the sellers on the planning, and extra work it took to get it in such condition. I’m sure everyone is going to be wowed by it.

The rest of my morning was spent working on a project that’ll hopefully come to an end before the weekend is over. I was somewhat glad I had to quit after about three hours of hard work and ready myself for today’s public open house.

In spite of it being cloudy with random sprinkles, my open house at 415 – 1st St. SE went exceptionally well to where I wasn’t alone in the home any more than about 10 minutes the entire two hours. There were several young couples who were very impressed with the home’s condition and especially the size of the yard and garage. I was sure to mention that it had a brand new furnace and central air, a new water heater, and recently updated plumbing and wiring. If there’s a home on the market today that’s move-in ready, that one fits the bill.

Earlier, I had a good chat with a colleague regarding how the dynamics of our City is rapidly changing. It seems all the more unctuous rentals are being purchased by a select few who do as little as possible to keep their rental homes in presentable condition.

We also visited about how certain districts are rapidly changing from owner-occupant to investor owned. You can be sure I was delighted when having sold 908 N. Pennsylvania to an owner-occupant because I was growing all the more fearful that it would end up being another page in a rental baron’s portfolio. I’ll never be able to understand the thought processes of those who continue to amass rental properties in this City. The newbies to River City have absolutely no idea how charming our community was about 30 years ago.

I also mentioned the three distinct districts I considered my bread and butter back then because there were always those first-time buyers purchasing starter homes, but today, homes in those locales are the most difficult to market because of how they’ve evolved from mostly owner-occupant to being heavily weighted with in-and-out renters. If you’d ask me what our City is going to look like in 20 years, I’ll likely not say because of the direction I’ve been seeing it move these past eleven years, and if there isn’t some sort of intervening circumstance that changes the course it’s on, everyone would back away from getting a genuine glimpse into a bona fide crystal ball of it all.

While at my open house, another buyer called and asked if I’d show 1603 S. Hoover this afternoon. I placed the call, and the owners said it would be fine, so off I went and had a second showing which as far as I’m concerned, would be a good fit for that couple, but I’m afraid they’re wanting even more since their buying power is much greater than what that home is priced at. They told me they’d think about it over the weekend, and perhaps call again for a closer look. I’d say they’ve got a champagne purse but looking at beer priced homes. I’ll have to see if I can find something in an upper range for them.

As I was driving away, I looked to see what time it was, and decided to take my chances on getting to a church Service before it started. Fortunately I made it there about two minutes late which was fine by me because they were still standing and singing as I quietly slipped into a pew.

I’m sorry to say I wasn’t “moved” by their Service, but I did have an opportunity to remain quiet and reflect on their Gospel readings. While there, I couldn’t help thinking about a conversation I had with a woman this week regarding church Service preferences. After listening to her, I discovered she likes the hoopla, while I prefer a more contemplative setting. We both agreed that every person has their own spiritual path and we should continue to respect their journeys of faith.

Tonight’s one-liner is: The litmus test of a good religion, is whether you can joke about it.

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